Is red eyes after swimming conjunctivitis?

Myth: If your eyes suddenly turn red after swimming, you need to pay attention, as it is likely conjunctivitis.

Truth-checking: It is indeed true

Verification points:

1 If your eyes are red and there is a lot of discharge, you may have acute bacterial conjunctivitis. This disease is highly contagious and may only affect one eye at first. If you are not careful, it can easily spread to the other eye or to others. It is more common in spring and summer, and you may be infected if you have poor hygiene habits or swim.

2. If the eyes are red, with little discharge, but it itches, it is mostly allergic conjunctivitis. The water in the swimming pool itself needs to be disinfected with some substances, some people are allergic to it, and in the summer, there are many people in the swimming pool, and there may be various other foreign objects, so allergies are quite common.

3 In short, you should still take protective measures before swimming. If your eyes still feel uncomfortable after swimming, you should go to the hospital as soon as possible.

Swimming is the most enjoyable thing in the hot summer, but while enjoying the healing feeling brought by water, we should also pay attention to the health of our eyes. I have encountered several patients in the emergency department whose eyes turned red after swimming. What is going on?

Red eyes with a lot of discharge

If this happens, you may have acute bacterial conjunctivitis.

Because it is a bacterial infection, the disease usually develops rapidly, with a large amount of secretions suddenly appearing, and it is yellow and sticky. In severe cases, the eyes may be covered with secretions when you wake up in the morning and you can't even open them. In addition to a large amount of secretions, the eyes are usually very red, and the eyelids may also be obviously swollen.

This disease is highly contagious. It may start with just one eye. If you don't pay attention, it can easily spread to the other eye or to others. It is usually more common in spring and summer, and people may be infected if they have poor hygiene habits or swim.

Eyes are red, with little discharge but are itchy

This situation is mostly allergic conjunctivitis.

The main symptoms are itchy eyes, which you can't help but want to rub, and the discharge is usually white and sticky. The eyes may be a little red, and conjunctival edema may also occur, but the redness is generally not very severe.

The water in the swimming pool itself needs to be disinfected with some substances, and some people are allergic to it. In addition, there are many people in the swimming pool in the summer, and there may be various other foreign objects, so allergies are quite common.

Allergic conjunctivitis generally occurs seasonally, occurring at about the same season every year. Many people may also have rhinitis, which is very common in children.

The best way is to stay away from allergens, but this is difficult to do in reality. After all, it is difficult to determine what you are allergic to, so generally you can only relieve the symptoms by applying eye drops. By exercising to enhance your immunity, the chance of allergies may be reduced.

How can you reduce the possibility of eye discomfort after swimming?

1. Of course, choose a cleaner swimming pool;

2. Remember to wear swimming goggles when swimming to avoid direct contact with water and reduce the possibility of infection;

3. If you are nearsighted, do not wear contact lenses. You can get professional swimming goggles with prescription.

4. After swimming, if you feel that the pool water has come into contact with your eyes, you can rinse your eyes with saline solution. If not, you can put a few drops of artificial tears or care solution to rinse the surface of the eyeball.

In short, you should still take protective measures before swimming. If your eyes still feel uncomfortable after swimming, you should go to the hospital as soon as possible.